Written Answers Nos. 1-40
33. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will amend the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2017 to require landlords to test for radon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19872/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, recognises that quality rental accommodation is critical to the success and sustainability of the residential rental sector and its attractiveness as a long-term accommodation option for households.
A key commitment in the Strategy was to review the regulations governing minimum standards in rented accommodation, to bring them into line with modern requirements. That review has been completed and on 27 January 2017, the then Minister signed the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2017. These regulations focus on tenant safety and include new measures covering heating appliances, carbon monoxide and window safety. With very limited exemptions, these apply to local authority and voluntary housing units as well as private rented residential accommodation.
All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the regulations. Responsibility for enforcement rests with the relevant local authority.
The purpose of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2017 is to provide a basis standard for decent, safe and secure accommodation. Policy measures relating to radon detection and remediation are primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. At this stage, I have no plans to amend the regulations to introduce mandatory radon testing in rented accommodation but I will keep the matter under review.
36. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the water abstraction licensing regime legislation as required by the water framework directive. [19785/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Water Framework Directive requires that abstractions of surface water or ground water which are likely to have a significant effect on water status must be regulated. In December 2017, the Government approved the commencement of work on a General Scheme of a Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill which will govern the abstraction of water in a proportionate and efficient way.
I intend to return to Government in the coming weeks with a draft General Scheme of this Bill. A public consultation process will then be launched and the outcome of that consultation will inform the further development of the Bill.
While no decisions will be made on any proposals in this regard until the public consultation is complete, I expect that a proportionate abstraction control regime can be developed that will effectively manage abstraction risks and pressures without imposing an unnecessary regulatory burden. Ireland has relatively low abstraction pressures with 6% of water bodies nationally having had abstraction pressures identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as potentially posing a risk to the bodies' environmental objectives. I expect that any control regime will focus on the most significant abstraction volumes and pressures, recognising that the Directive does not require the registration and licensing of private wells serving individual domestic dwellings.
38. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the income criteria for the cost of rental pilot projects being undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19849/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAgainst the background of the affordability pressures which currently exist in the rental market, the Government is determined to make cost rental a major part of the Irish housing system, similar to the role it plays in many other European countries. Under this approach, rents are set at levels to recover the construction costs and to facilitate the management and administration of developments, but with only a minimal profit margin included.
A pilot project is currently being progressed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, at Enniskerry Road in Dundrum, in conjunction with the Housing Agency and Approved Housing Bodies, using land owned by the Agency.
Learning from the initial experiences in the pilot scheme, my Department is working with the European Investment Bank and other key stakeholders with a view to developing the first major cost rental project in Dublin city. Initial feasibility analysis is underway with a view to identifying a major project for immediate progression, with a broader programme of cost rental projects across Dublin and other cities to follow.
I announced new measures in January of this year that are specifically targeted at delivering more affordable homes to households generally with maximum income of €50,000 for single applicants and €75,000 for joint applicants. The income criteria for access to a cost rental scheme will take into account the broader policy development on affordable housing.
39. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to address the rising number of elderly persons that are now homeless; his further plans to arrest the escalation of the number of persons in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19695/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.
The March homelessness report published last week shows that 2% of the 6,035 adults accessing emergency accommodation during March were aged 65 or over. While the proportion of homeless adults who are in this age category has remained relatively static since we began collating this information in 2014, numbers have risen overall, in line with increases in presentations across all demographics, and there are now 49 more people over 65s in emergency accommodation than there were in December 2014.
The long-term housing needs of families and individuals, including the elderly, who are in emergency accommodation, will be met through a range of social housing supports such as the Housing Assistance Payment scheme and through general social housing allocations. Significant progress is being made and in 2017 4,729 individuals exited emergency accommodation into independent tenancies, a 54% increase on the 3,079 recorded in the previous year.
It is a priority for me and my Department to continue to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness. In addition, the issue of housing for older people more generally will be addressed in a joint policy statement between my Department and the Department of Health, which will be published this summer.
40. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the range of statutory powers that will be afforded to the new borough councils which will be created by his Department; and if financial autonomy will be afforded to them. [19835/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for a Partnership Government (PPG) sets out a number of requirements in relation to local government reform. In particular, the PPG envisages the submission of a report to Government and the Oireachtas on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability, and to ensure that local government funding, structures and responsibilities strengthen local democracy.
Proposals to address a number of the PPG requirements have been the subject of consideration by Government. Among the issues addressed in this context is municipal governance, including the questions of town or borough status and local electoral areas, as referenced in the PPG. Following recent consideration by Government, a paper on this matter has been referred to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning, and Local Government, for consideration.
The draft paper contains proposals for enhanced urban governance in the local government system, including strengthening the role of the relevant municipal district members in areas such as financial and budgetary matters, economic, social and cultural regeneration and development of towns, and co-ordinating and prioritising investment in that regard. I understand that the Joint Committee will consider this and other papers on local government matters pursuant to the PPG at a meeting on 31 May.
